Malaguas / Niceli Portugal

Niceli Portugal
Brooklyn, New York, United States
 
Malaguas, 2025
Participatory multimedia installation (reused materials, hanging sculptures)
 
Malaguas is a participatory installation composed of jellyfish-like sculptures made from reused materials, inviting audiences to reflect on their relationship to water as both a life source and a shared ecological system. Inspired by jellyfish as some of the earliest multi-organ life forms, the work connects biological history with present-day environmental concerns. At the center of the installation, a collective sculpture gathers messages from participants responding to the prompt, “What would you like to say to water,” transforming the work into an evolving archive of reflection, care, and responsibility. Developed through community conversations in Queens, the project links personal expression with broader issues of water pollution, climate change, and environmental precarity, emphasizing water as both a cultural and ecological presence.
 
Niceli Portugal is an artist working across installation and participatory practice, exploring themes of ecology, community, and collective memory. Her work often involves collaboration with local communities and organizations, using reused materials and interactive formats to engage audiences in environmental dialogue. She has collaborated with City as Living Laboratory (CALL) on projects addressing climate impacts in Queens, focusing on water, flooding, and community resilience.
 
$1500 USD